Mattis vows ‘ironclad’ commitment to South Korean security

U.S. and South Korean forces will be 'united, vigilant and ready'

Defense Secretary James Mattis told South Korea that the U.S. has an “ironclad” commitment to South Korea on Thursday as Washington and Pyongyang continue to hammer out the details of the denuclearization agreement.

“U.S. commitment to the Republic of Korea remains ironclad and the U.S. will continue to use the full range of diplomatic and military capabilities to uphold this commitment,” Mattis said prior to a meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Song Young-moo in Seoul, according to Reuters.

“And this includes maintaining the current U.S. force levels on the Korean peninsula,” he continued.